Rather, the kind of smokers’ theatre called for by Bertolt Brecht and referenced in Virginia Heffernan’s New York Times essay, The Attention-Span Myth. Given that Heffernan not only references Brecht but our National Conference Keynote Speaker Jonah Lehrer, I thought her Sunday essay was worth some Monday morning quarterbacking.

In the essay, she argues against Lehrer’s thesis of the central importance of being able to strategically allocate our attention – revealed by the Marshmallow Test – and instead celebrates the “autonomy, exuberance and versatility” of distractability.

Her quote about Brecht is especially interesting:

“Bertolt Brecht made the case for a “smokers’ theater,” which encouraged the audience to light up cigars during plays. Condemning his fellow Germans for being “uncommonly good at putting up with boredom,” he hoped that by smoking during a play — or pacing, talking, walking out — they could also cultivate individuality and ideally an immunity to tyranny. A healthy fidgetiness would keep them from sitting silently, sheepish and spellbound.”

Contrast this to Lehrer’s belief that the focused attention required by the layers of meaning in a “17th century play may be the ultimate 21st century cognitive workout.” But then again, Shakespeare’s groundlings sound a whole lot like Brecht’s pacing smokers.

As Diane Paulus said in her Fall Forum panel, “We ask performers who want to work at Oberon (A.R.T.’s non-conventional space) if their work can compete with the sound of ice poured behind a bar.” And with theatres increasingly braving the distractions of outdoor/site-specific theatre, or bringing the buzzing connection of tetxs and tweets inside; it may be that plays that can thrive in a smokers’ theatre will best survive our distracted times.